Quick, mostly spoiler-free thoughts on Spider-Man: Far From Home

This review starts off with some spoilers for the MCU. Before the end, I will have one spoiler that I don’t think is a spoiler… but the Sony marketing team seem to think is. I will warn you before we get to that point.

Spider-Man: Far From Home immediately answers at least a few questions we had from the end of Avengers: Endgame.

The first 5 minutes cover the bases of “what happened to everyone that suddenly returned?” in hilarious fashion.

It then rockets into a teen comedy that actually makes you want to see Peter Parker and his group of friends, and not just the Spidey action.

That’s the thing I probably like most about Jon Watts’ take on ol’ webhead. Mr. Watts not only understands the material, he understands teen comedies. He could make a movie about just Peter and his friends sans Spidey-antics and it would be hilarious.

Some people had issue with the supporting cast of Homecoming. If that was you, there is nothing for you here to change your mind. MJ is still Zendaya, Flash Thompson is still Tony Revolori. If you can’t get over that, I got nothing for you. What I like about the cast is that they embody current teenagers. My teenaged kids LOVE this cast. They find them relatable and realistic.

While Jon Watts’ films may not directly adapt the characters and situations from the 60’s comics like the Rami versions did (or were closer to), Watts’ films really get the spirit right. Peter is brilliant (he made his own web shooters!), has teenage problems, and has Spider-Man problems. This is Spidey to me. Tom Holland is great and I hope he gets to be Peter as long as he wants to.

Far From Home builds on what Homecoming set up, as well as dealing with the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame on Peter.

The effects are great. There are some incredible action sequences in this one. The international locations add some nice detail and texture to the action and even are a springboard for humor.

The story isn’t Earth-shattering. It’s a return to a smaller scale that doesn’t have the whole universe at stake. I’m not going to go into too much detail, but it involves Nick Fury introducing Peter to a mysterious character named Quentin Beck. He soon goes by the name Mysterio and is helping Fury and Hill with some weird goings-on. Of course, Peter is on a school trip in the middle of it all. Hijinks ensue.

Overall, I loved this film and can’t wait to go see it again. It’s a great wrap-up to this section of the MCU.

Of course, stay for the credits. There are two credits sequences.

OK. Now for the non-spoiler “spoiler”.

I am just going to drop these Spider-Man comic book covers here from throughout the years. ‘Nuff said?

The illusion sequences in this film are NUTS. They really did a great job with Mysterio, and Jake Gyllenhaal really got some nice stuff to work with. I’m not sure I like him better than Keaton’s Vulture, but they are at least equal. This series has done a bang-up job with the villains so far.